Game apparatus



Dec. 9, 1958 G. L. ARONSON GAME APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1955 VEN' R. GEOR L. A SON 2,863,666 7 GAME APPARATUS George L. Aronson, Winthrop, Mass. Application December 8, 1955, SerialNo. 551,955

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-108) This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to a game requiring manipulative skill.

A primary object of my invention is to provide a game requiring various amounts of manual, visual and digital dexterity in operation varying from that required by a child to that of an adult depending on the rules followed. It develops coordination and balance. It is durable and inexpensive to manufacture. Any number of games can be devised to be played with the equipment provided.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrative of the invention and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my device in perspective indicating also one method of operation.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view on line 22 of Figure l.

The device consists of a plurality of spaced game courses of various widths and longitudinal grades with open interstices between them. These courses longitudinally span two horizontal terminals used as a starting zone and a finishing zone. The interstices between the courses are open and wider than any dimension of the game pieces pushed over their top surfaces. An oblique retrieving slide may be positioned under the courses to catch the game pieces if they are pushed off the course during the operation of playing the game and to allow the displaced pieces to slide forward to a position under the starting area. This equipment may be fitted or built into an open box for stability and as an enclosure to hold game pieces of various shapes, sizes, and dimensions and also the pushing rod.

This rod is a separate manipulating instrumentality provided for pushing the game pieces from zone to zone and for holding them on the courses while in transit. In order to increase the amount of skill and dexterity required to play the game, the contact end of the propelling rod is made smaller than the surface of any of the game pieces which is contacted by said rod during the pushing and holding operation, while the different courses are each made up of a series of longitudinal surfaces which are continuous with the surfaces of the terminal areas and are either horizontal, sloping upward or sloping downward or any combinations thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the game therein shown, as illustrative of one embodiment of my invention, comprises an open box 11, with sides 12 and 13, ends 14 and 15, and bottom 16. Extending from side 12 to side 13, contiguous to end 14, and offset vertically from bottom 16 is a finishing zone 18. Spanning the areas 17 and 18 are a plurality of spaced playing courses 19, 20, 21 and 22 with various longitudinal acclivous and declivous surfaces as indicated by slopes 23, 24, 25 and 26. The game pieces 27, 28, 29 and 30, each having at least one flat side, are used in the playing of the game. The manipulating rod 31 with propelling end 32 is used to push and hold the game pieces along the course from starting zone 17 to finishing zone 18. An oblique retrieving slide 33 nited States Patent positioned underneath the courses serves to catch and allow to slide to the front end 15 of the box 11 all game pieces which fall off the courses and through the interstices during the playing of the game due to inadequate manipulation of the rod 31. A slot 34 may be provided in end 15 to assist in recovering the displaced game pieces.

Various rules may be set forth in the playing of the game and the resulting scoring based on the fundamental that a selected game piece must be moved on a selected course fi'om one terminal to another up and down the' various grades of the courses, using only the end of the propelling rod without having said game piece fall ofi the course.

Also, each course can have position values inscribed thereon, the values being proportioned to the difficulty of the course and the distance that the piece has been pushed and held along the course from the starting zone.

One set of rules which may be used for the game consists essentially of alternate turns by players with scoring done by multiplying the number given the game piece by the number given the course for each successful crossing. The game pieces could be picked by chance and the course selected by chance. Or, chance can be eliminated entirely, and the game become one completely of skill.

The amount of skill required to play the game depends on three variables of constructionwidth and grade of courses, size and shape of game pieces, and size and shape of the pushing or propelling rod.

. Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A game of manipulative skill comprising a common starting zone, a common finishing zone, a plurality of spaced courses spanning said zones, the longitudinal playing surfaces of said zones and courses being continuous, a plurality of movable game pieces and a separate manipulating instrumentality, said courses being of various widths and grades, said surfaces supporting said game pieces in transit, said game pieces being of various shapes, sizes, and dimensions, said instrumentality providing manual means for moving said pieces from zone to zone over said courses and for holding said pieces on said courses.

2. A game of manipulative skill comprising a common starting zone, a common finishing zone, a plurality of spaced courses spanning said zones, the longitudinal playing surfaces of said zones and courses being continuous, a plurality of movable game pieces and a separate manipulating instrumentality, said courses being of various widths, longitudinal surface contours and grades, said surfaces supporting said game pieces in transit, said game pieces being of various shapes, sizes, and dimensions, said instrumentality providing manual means for'moving said pieces from zone to Zone over said courses and for holding said pieces on said courses, the contact end of said instrumentality being smaller than any contacting surface of any of said game pieces.

3. An amusement device comprising a plurality of narrow game courses connecting a starting area and a finishing area, a multiplicity of movable game pieces, a separate digital pushing rod and a retrieving slide, said courses being separated by open interstices, each of said courses having a longitudinal top playing surface of various widths made up of a series of acclivous and declivous surfaces, the surfaces of said areas and courses being continuous, said retrieving slide being positioned under said courses and extending transversely under all of said courses and obliquely downward from under said finishing area to under said starting area.

4. An amusement device comprising a plurality of narrow game courses connecting a starting area and a finishing area, a multiplicity of movable game pieces,-a' separate digital pushing rod and a retrieving slide, said courses being separated by open interstices, each' of'said courses having a longitudinal top playing surface of various widths made up of a seriesof acclivous and'declivous surfaces, the surfaces of said areas and coursesb'eing continuous, said interstices being wider than any dimension of any of said game pieces, said slide being positioned below said courses, extending beneath all of said courses and slanting from said finishing area to said starting area.

5. A gameboard comprising an open' box with vertical sides, having a playing surfa'ce'consi'sting of a horizontal starting zone on one end, a horizontal finishing zone on the other end, a plurality of spaced courses longitudinally spanning said zones and a retrieving slide, said zones extending from side to side'contiguous to said ends and offset vertically from the bottom of the box, said courses being of various widths, longitudinal surface contours and gradients and spaced from each other and-the sides of said box, said retrieving slide being positioned between said courses and the bottom of said box' and extending from side to side and obliquely from endto'end of-said box. a

6. A gameboard comprising an open box withvertical sides, having a playing surface consisting of a horizontal starting zone on one end, a horizontal finishing zone on 'the other end, a plurality of spaced courses longitudinally spanning said zones and a retrieving slide, said zones extending from side to side contiguous to said ends and offset vertically from the bottom of the box,sa'id courses being of various widths, longitudinal surface contours and gradients and spaced from each other and the sides of said box, said courses being separated by open interstices, said retrieving slide being positioned between said courses and the bottom of said box and extending from side to side and obliquely from end to end of said box, said retrieving slide being adapted to allow displaced game pieces to slide to the starting end of said box.

7. A game of manipulative skill comprising a common starting zone, a common finishing zone, a plurality of spaced courses spanning said zones, the playing top surfaces of said'zones and courses being continuous, 21 plurality of movable game pieces and a separate manipulating instrumentality, said courses being of various widths, longitudinal surface contours and grades, said surfaces supporting said game pieces, said game pieces being of various shapes, sizes, and dimensions, said instrumentality providing manual means for moving said pieces from zone to zone over said courses and for holding said pieces on said courses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,296,111- Olson Mar 4/1919 1,633,210 Herbison June 21, 1927 1,983,044 Maynard Dec. 4,1934 1,998,153 Beland Apr. 16,1935 2,503,555 Tobin Nov. 21,1950

OTHER REFERENCES Ping Pong Puzzle, Apr. 1, 1903. 

